Star Song, Singing Stars
by LadyHitchhiker
Summary: A new female lieutenant and Spock accidentally enter into a telepathic link which disrupts Spock's life considerably. Rating M for Spock romantic entanglement. This story is based right after the last episode of The Original Series. No star date.
1. Chapter 1

Singing Stars

Summary: A new female lieutenant and Spock accidentally enter into a telepathic link which disrupts Spock's life consideralbly. Rating M for Spock romantic entanglement.

This story is based right after the last episode of The Original Series. Who knows what Stardate is is? I don't know. I certainly didn't make a date for it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Spock, or Kirk - but how I wish I did. I do not own Chekov or Sulu - I would have them read to me for hours. I do not own Scotty who I would drink and make merry with. I do not own McCoy though I dearly wish he was my own special doctor, and of course I don't own Uhura but I wish I looked just like her. Most gorgeous girl of Star Trek. I also do not own the Enterprise, Andor or Vulcan. I wish sorely that Gene Roddenberry was still alive and pay home to his genius. All this being said, I do however claim at this point to own the characters of D'Maryp and Bella Branzzk, Eric Andrews and Todd Isham as well as the planets of Mandarian IV, Cabilinus XII, the planet Hatora and the Jydenn who live there, the fictional high-priestess T'Lien - or at least the name for she is a Vulcan- and the planet Antricis. I do not claim Lt. James as he/she may already exist and would definitely bow down to Gene Roddenberry's ghost at anytime for owning that character. All this being said: Here goes the story.

Kirk couldn't help but notice the newly transferred lieutenant since the accident. She was in lamens terms a veterinarian of xeno and terran fields so she had a fancy and lengthy title Kirk had trouble keeping track of. It wasn't just concern for a crew member. It embarrassed him but all of a sudden he noticed her as a woman. Her cinnamon shade of wavy hair cut in a pixie-do, her deep green eyes, her large swaying breasts, her strong lithe legs in the blue science outfit which of said outfit, the skirt seemed just a bit shorter than average. He shook his head. He would have to have a discussion with her about her skirt. Wow. That certainly sounded naughty, didn't it?

Lt. Bella Branzzk had been an excellent officer with varied interests. She had a big heart and had extensive training in refugee work. She was the youngest woman in her field and had been happily married to a security officer named D'Maryp Branzzk, a Jydenn from the Planet Hatora. The Jydenn were a people who bonded with their mates by producing a mass amount of pheromones. It had taken a while to control his pheromones "responsibly".

Lt Bella Branzzk's only real problem was a pretty stubborn immunodeficiency that involved her xeno allergies that McCoy was treating her for. Or at least, until the accident.

It had happened 2 weeks ago. D'Maryp Branzzk had gone to rescue contaimnated refugees off Cabilinus XII and his suit had breached containment while he was trying to save a scared little boy in a cave. His body responded instanly to the bacterium and the Bonexiian Xenomenigicoccus had gone through his body like wildifire, turning all of his veins black with the infection. He had died within minutes. He and one 6 year old Cabilinusian boy were the only casualities.

When Kirk gained word of the passing of Lt. Cmdr. Branzzk, he also received word immediately that Bella had broken into hysterics in the transporter room. Apparently the two owned a telepathic connection that once severed sent her int oan uncontrolled frenzy of loss. Kirk, Spock and McCoy - being the senior officers - rushed to the transporter room. Officers Eric Andrews and Todd Isham were trying to subude the window with now success. Once the terriffic trio had appeared, Kirk tried to talk Bella down from her emotional stance while McCoy prepared a sedative, but Andrews was elbowed and released his precarious hold on Bella, who flew unrestrained at Spock. Spock caugh her, his hand accidentally coming into contact with her face, magnifying the brief telepathic contact between teh two. She seemed to calm almost instantly as he touched her, her mouth open as she gasped loudly, tears dryin on her face, her eyes fixed at the ceiling. Spock now intentionally adjusted his hand in a cautious movement into the intimate meld position, muttering some soft low words in his native tongue to her that the translators had difficulty translating but she appeared to understand. One new lone hero tear fell down her cheek and she collapsed into his arms, making the couple look almost like two lovers.

McCoy took advantage of her vulnerability at this moment to slip a sedative into her neck, and Spock caught her as her body went limp.

McCoy had treated the newly widowed woman until he felt she was fit for duty again.

Since the accident, she had borne a strong face - at least to the crew, for he didn't know how she was personally managing her grief - and Kirk for some embarrasing reason inexplicable to him - that he was definitely trying to ignore - found it a turn on that she was so strong in the face of such grief. And such naked painful emotion.

Just as Kirk was about to find Bones and ask him about her progress, Spock's bariton voice spoke over the intercom, requesting the captain's presence on the bridge.

Jim decided he would speak with Leonard later, and make sure to discreetly check on Branzzk's condition - since he couldn't stop thinking about her.

The Captain had asked to be called when their ship neared the neutral zone. Usually, Spock wouldn't have any problems concentrating on his tasks, such as studying the spacial anomalies present, and the other tasks he was responsible for or that he gave himself, but the past few weeks since the mindmeld had been increasingly difficult and quite unusual. He found himself feeling as if the initial throes of pon farr - the blood fever, his mating time - were upon him, but instead of thoughts of his wife consuming him, thoughts of all of the female crew floated in his head. He found his eyes dwelling on posteriors, and the females' mammaries, his highly sensitive nose heightening their natural aromans, nearly sending him into a frenzy. It was increasingly difficult for him to maintain his position on the bridge next to the dark beauty of Uhura, let alone walk up and down the corridors of the Enterprise, seeing the random beauties heading to their stations or their rooms. Spock tried to hold his urges in check, and performed the illogical task of hoping that no one noticed his eyes grazing the females' bodies. He hoped he was being discreet.

When he had locked minds with Bella for that brief moment those two weeks ago, he had locked minds with a very compartmentalized persona; a compassionate person but also a person with the biggest libido that he had ever encountered telepathically. It seemed 9/10 of her mind was filled with passion and such related thought patterns, and her panic was from, yes, losing a loved one, but more so she was panicking because she had lost her husband's special link, and this overactive libido attacked Spock mentally, overpowering the walls he had built up from years of training and discipline. Apparently, the telepathic link was there to keep Bella pacified from moments when he wasn't present to pacify her with his pheromones. Then, without either to comfort her, she was sent into her turmoil.

Spock couldn't help but still feel conected to Bella, regardless of the fact he had tried to end their link. Bella had a very high esper rating, which had been part of the reason D'Maryp had chased after her. He felt that because of her high epser rating that this could only serve to help their relationship. He also couldn't help but feel his blood burn. Too bad the Vulcans weren't taught self-stimulation. It was felt it was unneeded. So few Vulcans had mental illnesses - including nymphomania - that it was felt highly illogical to teach anything but emotional repression and management.

When Kirk walked through the lift doors onto the bridge, Spock could almost swear that Kirk was watching him. He pretended to check and see if Uhura's console was operational, but actually it was an excuse to check her out again.

Kirk sat in his chair, absorbed with the view before him. Spock noticed that Kirk himself seemed a bit distracted and agitated. Spock wondered if maybe Kirk had heard from Carol Marcus again. The two had been arguing lately.

"Alright, all stations. Report."

"Captain, all clear here," breathed Uhura's beautiful silky milk-chocolate voice.

"No ships on the sensors," intoned Spock a bit brusquely. "And the spacial anomaly is maintaining the same readings."

"Maintaining specified heading. On our way to Mandarian IV." said Sulu.

"Nothing new, Keptin," responded Chekhov.

"Well, maybe for once we'll have a clear sail next to the Neutral Zone," chuckled Kirk. Kirk paused for a moment. "Spock, didn't your shift end 13 hours ago?"

"Yes, captain, but I feel no fatigue and am-"

"Call Lt. James up for your relief. Go .. mediate or something. I don't need you falling asleep at your post."

Spock seemed lightly annoyed when he responded, "Yes.. sir." And left his station.

He couldn't go to any of the rec rooms. There were too many females. He would not go to the caf either. Too many women devouring foods in their delicate mouths. He could not go anywhere but to the safe seclusion of his quarters, maybe let his blood cool down in the privacy of his quarters. He would go to his quarters. That was the best idea.

Spock attempted to take a shower. This did not help to cool his veins. He thought of the last ensign he had seen, running her hands down his body, lathering his lean strong body. Touching him...

Spock tore himself from the shower, and wrapped himself in a towel. He could dry himself, but that would not help him either. Maybe to dry off in the re-circulated air of the ship would help. Light one candle to focus on, try to clear his mind in meditation.

He sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor of his bedroom.

He stared at the candle flickering in the recirculated air that always smelled too clean to him. The air tickled his nipples. The air teased his sensitive ear-lobes. How the air felt good caressing his skin.

Spock tried to stare again at the candle.

Mediation eluded him. All he could think of was the sensations he felt.

He tried to picture himself in the desert outside the home he grew up.

He tried to picture himself on the mountain next to his family home.

He tried to picture himself in the void of space, the stars singing to him, as they sang to him in his dreams.

He tried to picture himself on Sarpeidon, even with the cold, to cool cool cool his burning flaming veins.

He tried to picture himself on Earth, staring at the Pacific Ocean crashing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

An hour passed of him trying to meditate.

Finally, he surrendered to the inevitabitily that he would not be able to meditate right now. Frustrated, - and frustrated he was frustrated - he dressed himself in his uniform and went to check any incoming messages on his console. He was interrupted by the chirp of his door.

"Enter," stated Spock, trying to maintain his composure.

The door whoosed and in its opening revealed the form of Bella Branzzk. Spock thought his heart would leap out of his chest. A flurry of erotic images flew through his head. He struggled to compose himself.

"How may I be of assitstance, Lieutenant Branzzk?" He asked, in hopefully an even tone.

"I need help in managing my grief." She uttered, taking a step closer to him, allowing the door to close behind her.

Spock took a seat on his couch a ramrod uncomfortable looking stance, and cocked his head at her, raising a sardonic eyebrow high in question.

"Explain to me why it would be logical to come to me for assistance rather than the ship's counselor, or perhaps even Doctor McCoy who could prescribe you some-"

"It has to be you. Don't you feel that?" She asked, sitting before him on the L shaped couch, leaning in close to him.

"I feel.. I feel.." Spock found himself struggling to issue any response that would lead her to believe that he felt nothing around her. That she wasn't stretching his very last stretch of control. Instead of being able to do this, he responded: "This is illogical and innapropriate. You should be seeking someone else's assistance with this matter."

"And all sorts of ill's and in's, I'm sure."

"I cannot assist you in this endeavor, ma'am." He replied brusquely.

"'Ma'am?' Aren't you a card!" She chuckled musically.

Spock opened his mouth to say something, when she touched his knee. She looked desperate. Out of control. He felt that contact flare as she tapped him. He felt electrified. The heat in his veins he saw in her eyes, and he did not know how to compose himself. He did not know if he could compose himself.

"Mrs. Branzzk-"

"Bella. Call me Bella." She insisted, nearly panting herself.

"You .. are beautiful, and you are grieving."

"No. I am needing. This kind of need leaves me no time to grieve." She growled, her hand shaking on his knee, looking almost crazed in that moment.

Spock put a hand over hers to try and steady her, but it was the incorrect and illogical move to take. As soon as he took her hand he felt all that she was feeling, an overwhelming flood of lust and confusion.

"I do not know why I am feeling this way." He didn't know if he said it or if she did, but in the next moment she was caressing his fingers with her other hand, sending her feelings to him in the intimate Vulcan kiss.

"I feel the same way." Again, he didn't know who said it, and then he realized no one had said it. They were thinking the same things to each other. Speaking into each others' minds.

"Kiss me." This feeling was strong and it was from her.

Spock released a groan and his mouth was on hers, hard and demanding. She felt unnaturally warm to him. Almost Vulcanian warm, but that made him only want her more. Everywhere she touched him, he burned. Every thought she sent to him inflamed him more. She was sending to him all that she wanted him to do to her, teaching him about the female body even more than Leia had taught him in his flower-induced stupor those years ago. He felt her hands touch his pointed ears and he felt all of his resolve evaporate, all of his walls crumble. He was hard, and he would have her. And then everything would be back to normal. Everything would be fine. He would stop being consumed by this lust.. He would..

He would have her. He would have her now. He yearned for her. He burned and ached for her. In a lightning quick mood he had her thrown up against the wall, her legs wrapped about him as he touched her under her skirt the way she told him she wanted. With the other hand, he removed her outfit's top.

Deleted, really interesting NC-17 scene. If you want to read it, let me know. I'll send it to you. It explains the differences between Vulcan and Human anatomy. Yaaaaayy!

Afterwards, he slowly let her back down to her feet, and he slowly realized that his head wasn't clear of the heat. The plaktau had not subsided. He felt now that he wanted her more than before.

"I think something's wrong, Bella."

"What?" she laughed.

"My fever should be gone. We have mated, and still my blood burns." He intoned in a deep husky voice.

"What?"

"You do not know this. Well.. actually, you may now know now that you have quested my brain. I am only supposed to go through the blood fever.. This mating drive is only supposed to consume me every seven years. What have you done to me? I want you again."

"Spock you may have me!" She looked endlessly grateful at his statement.

So he took her again.

Two days later, when Spock was to return to duty, he did not. Instead he returned to the sickbay, clenching his fists at his side, fighting for composure. He did so hate McCoy's senseless jabs.

Spock's logic was that after almost two non-stop days of mating with Branzzk, his fire should have abated some. Instead, it had only intensified, for now their telepathic link was quite solid.

The Enterprise was doing fine without him on the bridge. There had been no reports of enemy fire, and they were about to finally arrive at Mandarian IV on a diplomatic mission, so he decided he could wait no longer to see the doctor.

"Doctor, I may require your assistance," uttered Spock, his hands both in fists hanging like planks against his side.

"Well, really, Spock, comin' to ask lil' ol' me for some help?" McCoy drawled, letting the Southern show in his scratchy voice.

"Sir..." breathed Spock slowly and deeply. "I believe that I am in the throes of the plaktau. I cannot escape them. And yet, I do not burn for the one who I did call wife. I.. just.. burn."

"Spock, we're a long way from Vulcan." McCoy looked a little bit panicked. "What would you have me do?"

"You must lock me up. Maybe this fire will burn out on its own."

McCoy thought this was an illogical request. "No what I must do is hook you up to a biobed, run some tests and find out what the Hell is going on."

"Then you must ask Nurse Chapel to leave, and all the females. I am afraid my resolve is no longer strong enough to resist anyone anymore. And that may make me assault another man."

"Are you telling me that I need to restrain you because your mating drive has gone beserk? Have you been out in space that long, Spock?" McCoy was very worried by the statements Spock was making.

"I am telling you what needs to be done. I need to be in isolation somehow. If you want to run tests on me here, that is fine. It would be best to still insert me into the quarantine room."

"Who made you a doctor?"

"Who made you an expert on the Vulcan condition?"

"Oh you are NOT playing this game with me, mister. You'll do what I tell you to do, if you want my help." McCoy responded, visibly bristling, turning around this illogical and unlikely power play. "Now can I touch you, or will you attack me?"

"You may assist me, Doctor."

McCoy led Spock to the quarantine room, strapping the Vulcan-Human hybrid to the bio-bed just in case, and requested the ladies to not assist with the Vulcan's delicate treatment. Next, he would have to make a request to Kirk.

Kirk came to the sickbay, into McCoy's office looking a little bit rumpled himself. A little bit less composed. He had just awoken himself from a very erotic dream about the young lieutenant that Spock had been mating with for almost two days straight. A little annoyed, he noticed there were no other females running around for him to oogle at even for a moment.

"What's up, McCoy?"

McCoy glowered at Kirk's cheery greeting. "We need to divert to Vulcan as soon as possible."

"Really? Why?"

"Spock is suffering.. well.. He's going through that damn pon farr again but it's not right. He's .. burning after all the girls. The Vulcan are a monagamous species because it is logical, and he.. needs to find a wife immediately. He let me know that all the girls on the ship are starting to look good to him."

"He said that?" Kirk looked shocked.

"Not quite in that way, but yeah, that was the gist of it."

Kirk paused, looking very worried. "Could he die?"

"I don't know enough right now, Jim. All I know is I have to keep him strapped to that damn bio-bed, he's getting delirious, and I can't have any girls in my sickbay right now because he might attack them."

"Spock would never hurt anyone." insisted Kirk.

"Not intentionally. But what if he were to try and mate with the whole crew? He's a pretty attractive guy. He might be able to use his telepathic powers and convince them that they want to have his baby. I have no idea what he will do! We must get him to Vulcan. They probably know what to do as far as mental health goes. And who knows. Maybe his old gal will give him a fuck for old times sake."

"Now now, McCoy. You really think that kind of language is appropriate?"

"Oh well mate with him. I don't know. Maybe give her some kind of birth control. The Vulcan species has pretty potent sperm. I don't want him getting loose on our ship and knocking up 3/4 of the crew."

"Alright. I will speak with T'Pau.. and Starfleet. But it may take a few days."

"I think I can keep him under control until then. Maybe I'll finally sedate the green-eared bastard."

"Make it so, McCoy."

"And until then we're going to need to convert some of the labs into emergency medical rooms so the girls can still practice. M'Benga and I will try to treat Spock as an isolated case, and once I feel it's safe, maybe we can transport him to his room, and lock it up for Chrissakes."

"Sounds good, Bones. I'll get right on that."

Two more days later...

"Dr. McCoy," breathed the lieutenant quickly as she entered the sickbay. "I need your help. Something's wrong with me."

"What's the matter, sugar?"

"I.. I don't feel myself. I.. I..." Then Bella was falling to the floor, and Dr. McCoy was calling for Nurse Chapel.

"We need a bed. Clear a bed. Something's wrong with Dr. Branzzk."

One hour later...

Bella found herself awaking from her stupor.

"I feel so silly, Doctor, bothering you like this," she responded, not looking like she felt silly at all. She looked like she wanted to eat him alive, and McCoy felt himself feeling that he wouldn't mind if she threw him right down on that bio bed and ravaged him. If only he didn't care about the damned hypocratic oath.

"I-I believe I know what's going on with you, Mrs. Branzzk." stammered McCoy, trying to shake horribly vivid erotic images of himself and her entwined in that room. "I believe that you are suffering from withdrawal."

"Withdrawal? That doesn't make any sense at all. I'm not some sort of addict!" She protested, making McCoy feel a little bit more himself.

"Well, not from any conventional matter you're not. Since the death of your husband, have you noticed any behavioral changes for yourself?"

Bella did not respond. She looked skeptically at the doctor, and crossed her arms over her large heaving breasts which McCoy struggled not to watch.

"Your husband fed you his pheromones on a daily basis, and compounded by your telepathic connection, your body came to be addicted to those pheromones, increasing your libido, and putting yourself into a constant craving for his.. well attention." Responded McCoy very swiftly and more than a little bit embarrassed.

"I loved my husband. You're saying the only reason I loved him is because of his pheromones?! This is ridiculous!" She growled, looking like a female cougar all of a sudden. The sudden change in her demeanor didn't make him feel any more comfortable. Didn't make any of his sexy visions of her abate, but McCoy felt he was a consummate actor. He wouldn't allow her to know what he was thinking.

He smiled, trying to still be gentle. "No. I'm saying because you were his mate, he, as a Jydenn had to release pheromones as was his way to attach his mate to him. It's just unusual that your body would have responded to the pheromones as a chemical substance. I'm not saying you didn't love your husband. I'm just saying we need to find a way to wean you off these pheremones. Your body is responding in a rather undelightful way to the lack of exposure to D'Maryp. Also, your high esper rating isn't helping at all either, because I believe you are having an effect on the crew. They are responding to your.. inappropriate thoughts that you are sending out like waves."

"You mean I would get treatments, like my allergy treatments?" She asked, ignoring his comments about her inappropriate thoughts.

"Well.. at first, we would have to administer the treatment more regularly than the allergy treatments. You would have to monitor your body's responses quite regularly like when Earth used to have diabetes."

Bella's face looked agitated. "Honestly, doctor, I don't see why this is neccessary."

"Really, Doctor Branzzk? Because if you ignore your symptoms, you are going to have more of these 'fainting attacks' caused by your body being overwhelmed by your own body's response to trying to to deal without what you have lived with for so long," McCoy snapped. "Now are you going to agree to treatment, or do I have to pull strings, because I'm not above that. I'll get you off the duty roster before you can say Mr. Spock's last name."

Bella paused. She wanted to still want Spock. Right now she needed him. He was the only one on that ship who could talk to her the way he did. But maybe that in itself wasn't right. Was it fair for her to compromise his career.

"Well?" McCoy asked in blatant impatient irritation.

"Fine. Let's start treatment."

"I'll go prepare your injections."

Three days later...

"Go away!" roared Spock at the door to his quarters. He wanted no one to disturb him. He could not stand if anyone disturbed him now. If he could just look out the window at the stars, maybe he could finally meditate and pretend he was floating through the stars, the stars singing to him.

"It's Bella," uttered the lady softly.

"Well you certainly are not going to help matters, are you?" he muttered to himself. Then he relented. "Come in."

Bella entered, looking nervous. Why would she be nervous about him? She had seen more than anyone on this ship had seen. She had read into his thoughts more intimately than anyone else had. Even his wife had not cared to read all of his thoughts. His wife had burned with him and that was it.

"I came to offer my assistance. I feel you are in distress." she uttered matter-of-factly.

"Do not play counselor with me, Bella. What is the purpose of your visit? We are on our way to Vulcan, and I feel that you will only exacerbate my condition." He responded in barely contained anger. "I.. still.. want you.." he said between his teeth.

"I know. I feel it. I feel your burning." she responded, looking about able to cry.

"Sometimes you will find that wanting is not as great a thing as having. I have said that before and I find myself saying it again. But I feel with you having is so much better than just wanting. What power do you have over me, that I feel this way?" He ended with a hiss.

"I went to McCoy. I am.. getting treatment." She confessed.

"You are not ill. I am ill." Insisted Spock, looking confused.

"You're not ill, Spock. It's.." Bella's eyes began to water. "It's my fault. I.. developed a dependency to my husband's telepathic link and his pheremones and I'm having to be weaned off the latter. And you.. you linked with me at my worst time, during the immediate severing of our connection and ... it's my fault. I made you want me. Not on purpose but I still did. And I wanted you too, Spock. And I didn't want to stop wanting you, but McCoy insisted. He said-"

"What are you saying?"

"Eventually my libido will be normal again. Eventually I believe as I return to normal, so will you. Unless I choose to marry another Jydenn from Hatora or an Orion slave girl, then I will be normal. Allbeit, I've always had a really big libido, but it will not be on hyper-alert. And you.. you can live your normal life. We're still going to Vulcan, and you'll still go for some therapy. They probably will dissolve our link, which depresses me, because I have truly grown fond of you, but it is probably for the best. Your parents will find you another betrothed so that next time you go through this, you'll have someone to respond to in your natural way. And I.." Bella began to cry. "Well, I will begin to be able to grieve. My husband was a gentle man, a loving man, and he never did anything to hurt anyone. He died trying to save others."

Spock still felt the wildfire in his veins. He knew she felt it too, even though it was beginning to slowly abate. He wanted to reach for her. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to kiss her and he wanted her not to cry. He instead did nothing but burn, and listen to her.

"And I will transfer. I wanted the Enterprise. It's the best ship in the fleet, but I can't work with you Spock. Not until my treatments have finished. I.. may even return to Hatora. Or maybe it would be better to go someplace else that doesn't have any telepathic powers. Some place where they're immune to it. If some place like that even exists. All I know, is I need to be able to be me again. Especially me around you."

"You do not need to leave because of me." Spock stated, feeling a little bit more himself for a moment.

"How many lives am I going to disrupt because of this?" She asked, tears streaming down her face, shaking with the emotions she still was trying to restrain. Trying to restrain her need.. "I see the way McCoy looks at me. I see the way Kirk looks at me. I see the way Chekov looks at me. I see the way Scotty and Sulu look at me. I see the way the youngest ensigns look at me. They want it. And I want so badly to give it to them," she growled, sounding like a feral kitten. She took a deep spasmodic breath and attempted to compose herself again. "I must leave. For the health of the crew, I must leave. For my own health, I must leave. I am going to my quarters. I will remain there until I can figure out where I'm going. I will have McCoy send one of the female medical officers to attend me and help me with my treatment. So far," she laughed. "I have no affect on the girls."

"Well if that is your decision, then it is your decision. I cannot change your decision-"

"You're rambling." She noted, suddenly finding it incredibly difficult to breathe around him. She could 'see' the visions roaring through his head of their two days together.

"I find myself 'tongue-tied' around you, Bella. What a perfect name for you."

There was a long pause as their eyes locked, electricity boiling and sparking between them.

"I should leave now." She stated.

"You should."

She didn't. She sat down on the L-shaped couch and looked at him. He looked remarkable. The room was very dark, and the real light that carressed him was the starlight. He looked exotic and wonderful, his ears hugged by starlight, his face the passionate one she knew.

"Spock, you know we must end this. Otherwise, you may die, and I can't bear that. Your body cannot hold up to the strain of this much emotion."

"My ancestors survived it. Perhaps I may learn to survive it." He said, almost indignantly.

Bella shook her head. "I think I may love you."

Spock looked at her, and said nothing.

"But the thing is, I'm not in love with you. So either way, it's not worth you dying for me. There's nothing that would make it right for you to die for me. So I should leave now." She said, a little bit more solidly.

"You should." He said in the same way he had before. Almost normally.

There was a long pause.

"But what if I don't, Spock. What if I don't leave?" She was doubting herself, and Spock couldn't blame her. He was doubting himself. What if he were to join her on her voyage to find herself, to be able to grieve, to be herself to...

"I will keep burning." Spock decided. "I will not leave you if you will not willingly leave. And in a way, a part of us will die, and a part of us will be born. It is up to you to decide what is most important."

"Why me?"

Spock let his rage loose suddenly, unexpectedly. "Because you are the ONLY one who can see this clearly right now! You have merely tasted the capacity of the Vulcan emotions, and I have only begun to be able to share them. I cannot just shut them off like some of you humans can, to go suddenly frigid, empty. I cannot do this. You either have all of it or none of it. And so is my heart."

Bella closed her eyes and breathed softly, tears escaping from under her lids. She thought she was done crying for Spock. Spock who could not find a balance for his emotions. Spock who could only find peace by being Vulcan. Boring because of his inability to share his emotions. Sexy because of his massive intellect. She cried for him, freely, quietly, and it was all she could take not to stand and kiss him.

Instead she stood and turned to leave him.

"Bella.." he breathed.

"Yes?" she said, quietly, her back to him.

"I never meant to hurt you."

She stood still, back hunched to protect herself from the impact of his words.

"At least you can understand that for now." She returned, her voice only audible because of his pointed Vulcan ears.

"I am unable to be more than you wish me to." He confessed.

"The same is true for me. At least we'll always have the Enterprise."

Spock found he couldn't respond.

"Goodbye Spock. Live long and prosper."

"Peace, above all peace for you. And long life."

She left.

3 weeks later

As the fire ebbed, as the fire cooled as he waited in his lonely room he heard the stars once again sing to him as he fell into a dream.

As the fire ebbed, as the fire cooled, she waited in her lonely room, and cried as she too heard the stars sing, but for it was the first time, and she lay awake, already grieving for the loss of Spock's touch, mentally and physically. Grieving for her husband, too. She now had time to do that as well.

In two days they would arrive at Vulcan. Kirk had pushed Scotty very hard to get the Enterprise to get there very quickly. He missed having Spock on his bridge, and as soon as they could find a high priestess on Vulcan, the tie would be severed, and Spock would be free. Part of him didn't want to be free. Most of her didn't want him to be free, but they both knew it was neccessary. For the last two weeks, McCoy had been coming by to give him sedatives, but he knew that the Vulcan couldn't live on those forever. Thank God he'd kept some sedatives aboard the Enterprise that were friendly for the Vulcan physiology, though he never truly thought he would need to use them.

McCoy thought about what had happend and felt it was all quite surreal. Lady addicted to pheremones, Spock falling into a stupor. Maybe because of his high esper rating. Or maybe because of..

No, McCoy didn't even want to think about it.

But he had to. What if it was all because of the quick link they had had in the transporter room? What if she had made him sick?

McCoy shook his head as he sat in his office, cradling a glass of bourbon. Well, it didn't really matter now, did it? It would all be over soon, and Spock would be back to himself. And Bella, well she'd requested transfer to the Planet Antricis. A cold cold planet near Andor. A place where there was not known to be any telepaths. A place she could "recover" she said. She told McCoy, this way, the ship could get back to normal. McCoy was silently grateful in part of him. None of this whole drama she had caused - unintentionally mind you - and he could have his Spock back in a few days. Damn him but he wanted his Spock back. In all of his pasionless logic. He had seen Spock in far too unsettling a state. He could never look the same at him again. And now McCoy would fill his own veins with their own kind of warmth. A familiar kind. Alcohol. And he would get through this.

Kirk himself was going to his quarters to take a nap. Bella had all but fallen from his thought patterns and he wanted to be well-rested for Vulcan. Vulcan's atmosphere always left him tired, and he didn't know if he'd need to fight again and fake his own death, or take part in another obscure ritual.

Two days later

Spock woke from a deep sleep.

Bella woke from a deep sleep.

Spock felt he was near his native-born home, and Bella weeped. She would never be able to have what she had with him, ever again. He would go meet T'Lien, the High-Priestess that would sever the bond. Hopefully the fires would have abated enough so that he would not convince her to spend time with him. And Bella would leave for a cold cold world completely alien to her.

But it was as it had to be.

But they would never forget each other.

And they both looked out the windows in their room to the red planet below, and heard the planet call to them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two Starfire

Bella was constantly cold on that cold planet named Antricis.

She thought that if she was cold deeply and long enough, she would grow numb emotionally as well as physically. it had not worked. She allowed her hair to grow out. It was long and wavy now, and in the right lighting had copper highlights. The long hair helped to keep the wind off minutely, but was kept for no other reason.

She had not taken a lover in a long time. Not one since Spock. And in all the time she believed the fire would abate inside of her. Since they had both gone to the fiery hot lands of Vulcan for the dissolution, she had not experienced a break from the passions as they had promised. No release. In fact, she burned even more from him.

Unfortunately, the people on the planet Anacris Lesquin she had banished herself to happened to be hermaphrodites and so ignored the waves of empathic aphrodisiac. Something had gone wrong from the dissolution and Bella was stuck with it. Feeling there was but only one recourse, she sent for her physician Doctor McCoy. He was the only one she wanted to share this embarassing news with.

18 months had passed before she called for his assistance. Her body had taken to throwing itself into almost seizure-like fits and she suffered nosebleeds as an affect of trying to repress her emotions constantly. She felt she could wait no longer. She sent the call out on a priority channel to Starfleet.

"Curious." McCoy said more to himself than to Nurse Chapel, even though she was present in the room.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"Dr. Bella Branzzk has requested my immediate assistance. She says it is personal." His eyebrow arched in deep concentration above his crystalline blue eye as he touched his chin in thought.

"Specifically you, doctor?" asked Nurse Chapel in her bell-like voice?"

"Yes, Christine. I think I should speak with Spock before they drop me off on the planet."

Christine looked confused but before she could think of any tactful questions he might ask, he was out the door.

Since the event with Bella, Spock had been working hard to build up his mental disciplines. Who knew when he would see someone like her again. He wanted to be prepared and unaffectd by such a creature. So he mediated with much more frequency.

Spock was in deep meditation in his quarters. he wanted his mind focused for he knew of Dr. Branzzk's request for the attendance of the Enterprise's CMO to the world of Antricis. He wished to be completely relaxed and unaffected by her presence.

McCoy had other things on his mind besides having Spock feel balanced or at peace.

Spock's door chirped, breaking his concentration.

"Enter," Spock intoned.

McCoy came jaunting in, looking a bit hunched in the hsoulders yet determined and purposeful.

"Spock, I'm going to ask you some very personal questions, and you can't lie to me." He warned the Science Officer.

"I do not lie, Doctor," he said from his seat in the floor.

"Phooey! Now don't lie to me," McCoy snarled in a warning tone, never having believed the claim that the Vulcans were completely honest.

"I will endeavor not to," Spock returned frostily.

"That's better. You know where we're headed, don't you?"

"I am aware of our present course, and our mission."

"So you know who's there."

"doctor, I believe you are attempting to goad me into an emotional response."

"Mister Spock, if I'd wanted to goad you into an emotional response I'd be more blunt. Like this: How long is the gestation period of a Vulcan child?"

"Approximately 14-18 standard months." Logic apparently was not going to help Spock in this instance. "I fail to see how the gestation period of the Vulcan race could evoke an emotional response to me."

"Really? Cause I read up on Vulcan physiology myself so I'd be prepared in the event of some abnormal dealings with you. How long has it been since Dr. Branzzk and you were friendly?"

"I believe we left on as good of terms as could be expected, considering the circumstances."

"Spcok! I refuse to believe that you are this obtuse! How long has it been since you had your romantic interlude with Dr. Branzzk?"

"It has been-" Spock paused, his eyebrow arcing and bottom lip barely quivering- "16 months, 17 days-"

"Do you see why I'm concerned?"

"You believe I may have impregnated Dr. Branzzk."

"Why else would she call me out to help her. Help her with personal medical issues."

"Our bond has been dissolved, so I do not feel her thoughts, anymore, Dr. McCoy."

"And if you could?"

Spock cocked his head to the side. "It would not benefit either of us to share our thoughts anymore."

"You uncaring bastard! You can't begin to tell me you don't care about her anymore, can you?" spat McCoy.

"Although I find her aesthetically pleasing and her publications and engrossing read, I must admit I feel no emotions in regards to her."

"That's fine, Mr. Spock. And if she ahs given birth to your child?... I know she wasn't using any contraceptives. Her and her husband were trying to have a child. There's a distinct possibility-"

"I believ it would be best if we dealt with this issue if and when it becomes a reality."

"Heartless demon!" hissed McCoy, his eyes wide with rage.

"It is illogical to mkae plans for what may not even be a future. We hsould not 'count our chickens before they hatch' as you would say."

"Fine, Spock. I'll be the one to deal with your dirty laundry." McCoy stormed out of the room faster than he had arrived.

McCoy was irate. Who would have thought Spock would be irresponsible about anyhing?!

Spock tried to return to meditation but all he could focus on was Bella's visage. So there would be no rest for the wicked.

It took three days at warp 4 to come tot he frigid planet of Antricis. McCoy was surprised to be called to the bridge immediately upon entering orbit.

Dr. Branzzk had hailed the ship. She looked quite a bit thinner than he remembered. Her simple request was to see McCoy alone, to discuss personal matters. McCoy conceded. He would have liked to surf a shuttlecraft down to the surface but it was the windy season and it was much safer to beam into the cave she resided at.

McCoy brought a tricorder and a medical kit. He thought that was all he would need immediately.

Spock had been on the bridge when the hail had gone on screen. He couldn't help but feel stirred when he laid eyeson her haunting visage, to remember their bodies entwined, despite what he had told McCoy.

And now, McCoy, the emotional one was heading to the surface dressed in a parka generated by the ship. Spock found himself secretly and illogically wishing him luck with Bella.

Upon materializing in the cave, McCoy allowed his blue eyes to adjust to the dark cave before him. It was dimly lit by phosphorescent rocks that were cultivated by the local creatures for light and food.

The green blue and purple lights were beauitufl and cast a pearly sheen on the doctor, who sat on a very primitive and unkindly looking bed.

"Dr. Branzzk?" smiled McCoy.

"Dr. McCoy, please call me Bella."

"That means 'beautiful one' doesn't it?"

"Yes it does." she smiled.

"How apt."

She beamed at his suave remark. Inwardly he flinched. Why had he said this?

"So? What seems to be the problem, 'Bella'?" he asked, having her sit on the bed.

"Um.. well.."

"Could you remove your coat, please?" he asked absentmindedly as he pulled out his tricorder.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I do. You don't have anything I haven't seen before," he assured her playfully.

Bella, troubled as she opened her large fur coat - and to his shock and intense embarrassing arousal he saw she wore a sheer nude-colored chemise.

"Well.. uh.." he swallowed before she leaned in close to him. He managed one quick reading before she kissed him on the mouth, and grabbed under his coat, on his firm little buttcheeks.

McCoy merely was standing there at first before she slipped her tongue into his mouth.

McCoy hadnt' kissed a woman in a long while, and beautiful desireable Bella was ravaging his mouth as she threw off the furcoat and drug him to her. Pulling him on top of her, he felt his resolve to argue slip away.

Before he could readily protest he felt her straddle him, rubbing herself over his interest eagerly.

"I want you, McCoy. I want you inside me. I want you now."

He moaned as he felt the need to doctor her surface.

"Bella, Bella," he spoke as she pulled up his shirt and sucked on his nipples. "Bella, you sent a priority distress call. That can't be used just for a booty call."

"JUST a booty call," she scoffed. "I haven't had a man since that hyrbid Spock cause the people down here are truly frigid hermaphrodites. If I don't have you soon, McCoy I believe I will die of sexual frustration!"

"Me. Not Spock?" He asked for clarification.

"You. Only you." And to enforce this, she touched his interest and kissed him again.

McCoy was a generous lover, but still exhaustible and a man on a mission. He had fulfilled Bella, then insisted on speaking with her as she fondled him.

"Why did you call me, Bella?"

"I.. Spcok and I were lovers, and we decided the fair thing to do was to dissolve our union that was made by our link. Since the procedure, I don't feel... I feel as if he has poured all of his desire into me on top of all my own. I think the Vulcans made a mistake," she returned sheepishly.

"The Vulcans?" laughed McCoy, focusing intently on her words.

"Yes. You know, I want to feel you in my mouth." His body responded by leaping in her hands. "I believe the Vulcan's ceremoy was completed incorrectly. We may need to return to Vulcan."

"Can't you live with a wee bit elevated libido?"

"Can you deal with being hungry every second of every single day? It is no different for me. And I'm hungry for you, McCoy."

Now she allowed her mouth to descend to his interest and she took him wholly.

McCoy hailed the Enterprise. "Hey, uh, Jim, we might need to borrow Spock for a few weeks."

"Really? What an odd request." Jim chuckled.

"Odd circumstances. Apparently, somethings needs to be redissolved."

Kirk swallowed hard. Not THAT again.

"Alright, Bones. I'll let T'Lien and T'Pau know that we shall meet them at the appointed place."

It would take a month and a half to get to Vulcan. In the meantime, McCoy couldn't help it. His love for Bella had grown and he spent every spare minute with her. Spock had not bothered for a full week to try and see her. After all, McCoy still had not told him whether or not he had found out if Spock was a father.

So one week later, Spcok went to McCoy's room and illogically enetered without asking. What he found disturbed him on many different levels. He saw McCoy and Bella together in bed, making appreciative noise over each others bodies.

"Doctor! I scarcely see this a fitting reason to travel out of our way-" began Spock.

"Spcok! What happened to privacy?!" roared the shocked and apalled doctor recognzing his voice in his own room.

"I came to see the results of your inquest. I see no infant so I must assume-"

"Get OUT of here!"

"I belive, as you 'humans' would say: 'we need to talk.'"

"Now?!" asked McCoy incredulously.

"There is no time like the present." responded Spock almost gruffly.

McCoy wondered when Spock had started speaking in so many aphorisms as he illogically covered Bella up with a blanket. It wasn't as if Spock had never seen her naked before, but McCoy was still a country gentleman. Once they were both more or less concealed for modesty purposes, they faced Spock.

"I believe that Dr. Branzzk called for you, Dr. McCoy as a physician. It is inappropriate for you to initiate in a liaison between the two of you, being as she is your patient." Spock intoned as he tried to keep his eyes off of her, and focused on the doctor.

"What in blue blazing hell are you tlaking about, Spock? She called me because since the dissolution, her symptoms have increasd to the point that they are affecting her physical health!"

"Talk later. Love me now," she growled at McCoy, her hand working under the blanket over his body.

"If your Vulcan Priestess had done her job right, we wouldn't be in this position right now." exclaimed the irascible doctor.

"What you are saying is most illogical. Our bond is dissolved. Otherwise, there is not any way that she would be here in bed with you." Spock stated matter-of-factly.

"What the hell does that mean? Are you superior to me in the bedroom as well?" McCoy looked ready for a fight. "I'll whoop your ass as I am, naked!"

"I am merely meaning that the Vulcan bond would have compelled her for her to call for me, Doctor, not a physician. She would be compelled to gratify herself by my body. And no one else's."

"Brainwashed you mean. Look, Mr. Hoity Toity, I think you're jealous that she wants me now."

"I think you should reexamine this situation medically. It is possible that we have overlooked an important aspect of her physiology-"

"You and I have both overlooked her body and you're not getting the chance again, now LEAVE!"

Spcok left, and Bella kissed Leonard on the mouth before he could become more enraged by Spock's presence.

Upon exiting the room, Spock went to the wall and pressed a button on the intercom system. "Captain, this is Spock. I believe it is neccessary to speak with you."

"Well, I'm at the gym now, would you like to join me?"

"I believe this is a private matter."

"Oh well, I'll meet you at my quarters. On my way."

Spock met Kirk directly at his quarters where the shirtless gleaming Captain stood.

"Let's go inside," encouraged Kirk amicably.

The two entered his quarters.

The Captain sat at his desk and invited Spock to sit in the chair across from it. Spock instead chose to stand.

"What seems to be the problem, Mr. Spock?" Kirk asked carefully.

"I believe the doctor may require some assistance I have been unable to provide. I believe that his judgement is being compromised and afecting his clinical detachment."

"You've never questioned his professionality. What has brought upon an issue?"

"Dr. Bella Branzzk."

Kirk swallowed hard. The widow had caused some havoc on their natural functions of the ship.

"How is she affecting the doctor?"

"Apparently, the lady doctor has suffered increasing symptoms since the dissolution of our bond. I believe there may be a medical reason for her reaction. McCoy believed that she may have een gestating my child and required assistance, and that's why he agreed to meet with her." Spock explained.

"Spock, we only beamed the two doctros aboard, no infants."

"I still believed Dr. McCoy owed me the responsibility as a doctor and .. my friend to inform me of whether or not I was a father and thusly needed to plan paternal duties. My parents I'm sure would wish to know as well."

"I agree," Kirk nodded.

"He did not come to see me. I committed a faux pas by not knocking on the door before seeing Dr. McCoy and he and Dr. Branzkk were .. quite involved."

Kirk's eyes widened. "You're saying-"

"His feelings for her have completely overriden his judgement. I do not believe he has even thought of checking the tricorder readings on the planet that he took of her."

"Well I'll fix that." Kirk hit a button on his desk. "Bones, Starfleet's really haggling me for a full medical report on Dr. Branzzk. First thing when you get back on shift, you think you could sent that up to me so I can them off my back?"

"Yeah. Sure. It'll be on your desk in a few hours." Panted McCoy.

"Great!" Kirk hit the button again. "There. Problem solved."

"Sir-" protested Spockl.

Kirk raised his hand to stop him mid-sentence. "I know what I'm doing, Mr. Spock. If this doesn't take care of the problem, there's far little less actions and they most certainly will solve this problem."

Spock nodded and bowed slightly. "As you wish, Captain. I will resume my duties now."

"Yes. To the bridge. And in a little while, we will go snoop in sickbay," Kirk replied playfully.

Spock's response was to raise a carefully groomed eyebrow into an arch.

"'Snoop', sir?"

"Well," Kirk smirked, "perhaps investigate is a better term to use."

Spock nodded in acquiesence. "I will be on the bridge."

"I'll be up there in a little bit."

The next two hours were uneventful, and the Captain made sure everything was A-OK on the ship before he gave over command to Scotty and stole Spock to begin their investigation in Sickbay.

Upon entering the sickbay, Kirk expected to see McCoy and Branzzk in the open front room, but there was only a mildly ruffled looking Nurse Chapel.

"Nurse Chapel, where is Doctor McCoy?" Kirk asked.

"He is in a private room with Dr. Branzzk, performing a .. physical." The nurse responded a little judgementally.

"Wel that is certainly irregular."

"Hm!" Was Nurse Chapel's irritated falsetto response. She put away some computer discs and looked at the Captain and Mr. Spock. "They're in room two."

"Thank you Nurse Chapel," She smiled then shuffled back to work.

Kirk and Spock headed to Private Room 2. These rooms were used more for quarantine situations, so it was really no wonder that Nurse Chapel thought it was irregular that they were alone in one of these rooms for her physical. Kirk knocked on the door.

"Come in!" McCoy shot out.

Kir kopend the door.

"Jim!" beamed McCoy. Then he glared, recognizing the pointy-eared hybrid beside Kirk. "Oh.. and Spock. What can I do for you?" He asked as Bella rubbed the bare portion of his arms in a very personal matter.

"Just wondering how the exam was going." Kirk returned conversationally.

"I was curious as to why this is so important to 'Starfleet' all of a sudden," McCoy asked in almost an accusing tone.

"They actually asked for an immediate response on her health, but I just figured after a week of not hearing anything from you, that I better get a report before Starfleet sends someone else to investigate. I thoght I might gently push you."

"Now you have to 'push' me to do my job? Listen, Jim, if you have a problem with the way I do my job-"

"I haven't had a problem before her. I think you should have M'Benga look her over. I think your emotions are clouding your judgement," confessed Kirk.

"And what does Spock think?' snarled McCoy.

"I disagree."

Kirk and McCoy both looked at Spock, shocked.

"I believe a female physician would be a much better candidate to tend to Dr. Branzzk. She seems to not have an attraction to females. If the medical reason for this is to be discovered-"

"Are you saying she doesn't have feelings for me? She's standing right behind me!"

"So ask her." Kirk responded.

"McCoy, how long after the time she called you down to the surface did you two enter into a physical relationship?" Spock asked, coldly.

McCoy looked uncomfortable to answer Spock's question.

"Well, anyways the answer to this question is of no importance. What question is more important is whether or not she would still be contacting you whether or not her current medical condition was present." Spock said stoically.

McCoy looked very annoyed. "Medical condition? She says since the dissolution of her bond that she feels even more .. driven. I was her physician-"

"Leonard, I need you," Bella moaned in a stirring voice, that had everyone trying to ignore the lust in her voice.

"Just wait here for a few minutes. I need to fix this problem," McCoy said gently to her.

"But baby..."

"Just a few minutes." he said softly to Bella. Then his eyes grew cold as glaciers as he returned his conversation to his two "best friends". "Let's go to my office," growled McCoy.

In a few moments they were seated in McCoy's office.

"Dd either of you ahve the desire to rape her?" McCoy asked coldly.

"Bones?" Kirk asked, taken aback by the statement.

"The reason why I ask is because as far as I can tell, she ahs been taking the shots I asked her to, using the proper hyposprays to wean herself off her addiction to her husband's hormones. So you, both being the experts on the matter, let me know why her libido is increasing. I checked the formulas for her hormones myself repeatedly. I'm not an incompetent doctor-"

"I never said that, Bones. I believe your judgement is being affected, nonetheless. She is a beautiful amazing woman, but maybe Spock is right. Maybe she requires Dr. Rosa to look her over." Kirk explained. He paused, his voice becoming more soft, and kind. "Don't you want what's best for her?"

"Won't Starfleet wonder why I'm not performing the medical workup when she asked for me specifically?" McCoy asked, his resolve weakening.

"I'm sure Starfleet will understand once they realize the circumstances. You shouldn't have to make any medical decisions regarding her, due to your relationship, anyways. You and I both know that," Kirk said in an appealing tone.

"Alright. Let's get Dr. Rosa in here." McCoy relinquished.

Dr. Branzzk's face was red with blood once Dr. Rosa had arrived. Bella was suffering from yet another nosebleed.

An hour and a half later, Dr. Rosa emerged from the private room, calling Kirk, Spock and McCoy to her.

Dr. Carlita Rosa was a short Latina with dynamic brown eyes and curly black hair pulled back away from her face with a colorful scarf. Despite her height, her presence was always known.

"I have some interesting findings, gentlemen." She began brusquely. "She has contracted a virus. A virus that is severly affecting her libido. The longer she incubates this virus, the stronger her drive is. She is now suffering from seizures, dehydration, and nosebleeds. As long as she's suffering from this disease, she needs to not be having any intercourse. Am I clear on this? If she does, this will deplete her body of needed nutrients that will help her stave off this viral infection so that hopefully I can find an answer."

"What about Spock and McCoy?" asked Kirk.

"Were they intimate with her?" Rosa asked bluntly.

"Yes." Kirk replied with equal frankness.

"Than I should look them both over," she shrugged.

"Are her hormonal applications proving efficacious at all?" Spock asked.

"I believe they were the only treatment that was holding the side affects at bay," Rosa said.

"So this is my fault? This is something I overlooked?" McCoy asked broken-hearted.

"For all I know, she oculd have contracted this on Vulcan. I have no answers so far. But let's look you two over and make sure how contagious this virus is and how long this has been incubating. Who knows? She could have caught it from her husband and it just didn't start replicating until she was back on that ice planet. Maybe the cold makes it replicate faster. No more questions until I have more answers, though," she replied sternly.

Dr. Rosa called Kirk back to sickbay once she had more answers. "Hello Captain."

"Doctor. What's going on?"

"So far, Dr. Branzzk has been sedated, and given extra hormone supplements. We're going to have to find or make an anti-viral that will work for her. It may be the only thing that will save her life. She's restrained, has fluids going; and an all-female staff MUST be incurred until she even begins to recover from this. I'm treating her with a broad spectrum of antivirals in the meantime, hoping something will work."

"And how are Spock and McCoy?" Kirk asked.

"Well, it seems that the virus is spread only through empaths, and albeit Spock can be empathic, the virus does not survive in his bloodstream."

"Why did you think to look at empaths, and how would you discover this?" Kirk asked, a little confused.

"It turns out that Nurse Chapel and I are both empaths to some degree, so I took some of the virus and inserted into some random blood samples, to see if it would flourish. They did quite nicely in Nurse Chapel and my blood. The virus did not however survive Dr. M'Benga, or Dr. McCoy's blood. So, if it weren't going to kill her, she could have sex with Dr. McCoy or Spock as much as she wanted and they would nto be infected," she explained.

"How is it spread?"

"It is spread the same way as the A.I.D.S. virus of the 20th-22nd century."

"Ah what a long battle that was. Have you found the origination of her infection?"

"Believe it or not, Dr. Branzzk was correct. She was infected on Vulcan. One of the human empaths training on Vulcan to control his emotions apparently broke down and had a brief interlude with Dr. Branzzk. We may have found the beginning of an empath pandemic. Very slow incubation, but still quite deadly. I will be working round the clock on a treatment for this ailment. Hopefully, she will be cured by the time we get to Vulcan so we can help Mr. Vance who apparently is currently residing at a Vulcan hopsital. I'd sure love to beat those self-important Vulcan," she ended with a grin.

"I would love that, as well," Kirk smiled. It seemed easy to smile with her.

"Now, I"m going to need to locate all the men aboard this ship and all the females that may have been involved in such contact with Dr. Branzzk to make ou viral treatment more efficacious." She replied, getting serious again.

"Isn't that a bit of an invasion of privacy?" Kirk asked.

"Why don't we just inject everyone?" Kirk asked, entering the open treatment room.

"Sir?" Rosa asked, irritated by the interruption.

"Well, the anti-viral won't hurt the people that are immune and wil treat the people who are ill," McCoy explained.

"We still need to treate anyone else she may have spread it to outside the ship and whoever they may have infected," Dr. Rosa retorted, a bit annoyed at being questioned.

"Well, fortuantely, the planet she was on was full of hermaphrodites. I dout they were interested in having realations with her." Explained McCoy, a little amused.

"And she didn't have a child?" Kirk asked.

McCoy winced. "You should ask Dr. Rosa. She was the one to doublecheck all of my work."

Kirk turned to look at Dr. Rosa head-on. "There were signs that in the last year and a half, that she did indeed have a miscarriage." confessed Dr. Rosa somberly.

"So Spock would've been a daddy?" Kirk replied in disbelief.

"Not neccessarily. We all must understand the effect her hormonal addiction was having her body, let alone this virus. For all we know, Scotty could have been the father." Dr. Rosa explained.

"Where's Spock?" Kirk asked.

"Meditating. He has not been ablet o sleep yet. He wishes to stave off sleep until we leave Vulcan," Dr. Rosa explained.

"Why? He can sleep. It's no big deal if he gets a nap in now," McCoy protested. "We don't need a cranky Vulcan around here," responded McCoy playfully.

"Well you seem better," Kirk chuckled.

"Dr Rosa has an amazing bedside manner," McCoy teased, happily making her blush.

"Are you sure he isn't infected?' Kirk teased.

Dr. Rosa shook her head saucily. "Mayb he just has good taste."

Both Kirk and McCoy laughed and made appreciative noises.

"I am going to begin work on the anti-viral. When you're done, Dr. McCoy, if you could assist me?" she asked, batting her long eyelashes playfully at him.

"Sure thing, cupcake," he winked at her.

Once she was out of earshot, Kirk commented, "Well she's a fiery cute little thing, isn't she?"

"Oh no.. you stay out of my medical folks and I'll stay off of your bridge crew."

"I'll let you break that to Uhura. I won't be the one to break that to her," teased Kirk. He paused. "So you forgiven me yet for questioning your judgment?"

"We're all human, Jim. We all make mistakes," shrugged McCoy.

"Even Spock?"

McCoy again looked uncomfortable at the mention of his name. He shuffled his feet and then responded. "I don't feel happy with the idea that the only reason she pursued me was because of a viral infection. Doesn't do a lot for my ego. I'm sure if Spock would be willing to admit to his own emtions, he would feel that he didn't appreciate that the only reason she wanted him was because of a hormonal inbalance. I don't believe he is truly as disaffected as he allows us to believe."

Kirk lowered his head to allow his dark eyes to match more directly with McCoy's stunning blue eyes. "You didn't answer my question."

"You're asking me if I'll forgive Spock. I know Spock too well to hold anything against him forever. I'm mad at him for being right-"

"I am not an expert on human emotions, Doctor," Spock said, entering the room. "Who am I to say she does not love you or that she will not in the future?"

"I should've known you would hear me with those blasted pointy ears," McCoy returned.

"I am sorry if I made you feel that your emotions were not valid. I understand they are important to humans," Spock stated with all due sincerity.

"You may be right as well, Spock. There may be nothing there.. at all," McCoy replied.

"I'm sure there must have been at least a physical attraction, elsewise she would have allowed you to bring her to the ship and immediately found another lover. Besides, you are an intelligent, aesthetically pleasing indiviudal-"

"You gonna ask me out on a date, next?" McCoy and Kirk laughed at the look of surprise generated on Spock's face. McCoy shook his head. "It's okay. It's okay Spock. If our love is to happen at all, she must survive. And even if she survives and there's nothing that that is as it is. But for now, now I shall have to return to duty, as you two will need to."

Two days passed. Kirk assumed all as going well with Dr. Branzzk as he had heard good updates from Dr. Rosa. He was on the bridge orchestrating system checks on the ship when he received a call from the sickbay.

"Sir, sorry to bother you but Dr. Branzzk is asking for you," articulated Nurse Chapel's sweet voice over the intercom.

"I'll be right there."

It did not take long for the captain to reach the sickbay.

"Still in room 2, Nurse Chapel?" He asked with ease.

"Yes, Captain, but-"

"I'll take it from here."

"As you wish," she returned diffidently.

Kirk walked with purpose to the appointed room.

Dr Branzzk laid, strapped into the bed in room 2, looking unusually serene.

"Captain, you came!" She beamed softly.

"How can I help you?" Kirk asked.

"You, as the captain.. doesn't your word supercede any decree made by anyone else of the crew on this ship?" She asked in a coquettish voice.

"Pretty much," he returned laconically.

"Than touch me. Rub me. Right under this silly blue nightie," she breathed, squirming in her restraints.

Kirk swallowed hard. "Dr. Branzzk, this isn't you." he finally replied huskily.

"Do you think I wouldn't be attracted to you if it weren't for this virus? Of course I would be. Just rub me. You wouldn't really be disobeying Dr. Rosa's instructions if you rub me, would you? I'm better hydrated now."

"Just because one's attracted to someone else doesn't mean they respond in a passionate way. Normal people live with desire every single day, and don't respond to it. You told McCoy that you'd only been with Spock since your husband. How come Santino Vance on Vulcan is suffering from the same virus as you are? They believe that he gave it to you."

"But I didn't have sex with him.. I just.." she let her voice trail off. "I didn't want o get pregnant by him," she ended in a whisper.

"Anyone else you didn't have sex with?"

"No." She responded solidly. "I wasn't lying when I said Spock was the last. He was. And Santino.. well, he was just a mistake.. a fling."

"So it was his child, you lost," Kirk returned solemnly, feeling quite angry inside.

"That's what the physicicans believed. A 1/4 Vulcan baby boy." She returned almost coldly.

"Why did you lose him?" Kirk wanted to find a reason to blame her. It was only human to feel this way, but he at least needed to know why Spock was not be a father.

Bella shrugged. "Just one of those things. It's just as well. I'm in no shape to have a child right now," she laughed bitterly.

"Then you agree you should be given the proper precautions by Dr. Rosa," Kirk pushed.

"Yes. Yes. Fine. Fine. Can't I see Leonard though?" She asked, wiggling in her restraints, seeming quite distracted.

"No. He's too affected by you."

"How about Spock?"

"I don't see how he would help with this situation at all." Kirk replied, deliberately remaining obtuse on this matter.

"Maybe even Scotty," she breathed.

"How is my Chief Engineer going to help?" He returned, his voice edged with just a frosting of frustration.

"Rub me dammitt! Or get me a vibrator, if you must!" There's the reaction he was waiting for. That's what he knew she really wanted.

"You getting nothing but bedrest. If you cannot comply, you will be sedated repeatedly. You need rest or the virus will replicate faster, and give Dr. Rosa less time to find a cure. Do you want to die of this? Do you want to live like this for the rest of the time you have left?"

"I need someone to finger me!" she shrieked.

"As appealing as that may be, I'm afraid that no one is going to be playing with you until you get better." Kirk replied perfunctiorily before hitting a button on the wall intercom. "Nurse Chapel, Dr. Rosa, I require your assitance with Dr. Branzzk."

The two females rushed in quickly, expecting an emergency.

"I believe she has become hysterical," Kirk explained almost with a Vulcan composure.

"I said there was to be no men allowed in here!" growled Dr. Rosa.

"It's my fault, doctor. She specifically requested the Captain's presence," explaind Nurse Chapel.

"I don't care if Jesus Christ is on his way for the second coming, no man is allowed in this room! Now, out!" shouted Dr. Rosa as she sedated the shrieking thrashing patient strapped to the biobed before her.

Once Branzzk was sedated again, Nurse Chapel tended the sick doctor as Dr. Rosa pulled the Captain out of the room by the arm not gently into another private room.

For one brief over-hormonally-charmed moment he thought that this fierce vixen was going to kiss him. Or slap him. He was wrong on both accounts.

"Look, just because you are the captain does not mean my rules don't apply to you," sneered Dr. Rosa. "I will let you and every person on the staff know - if need be - that no man is allowed near that damn room, let alone that damn door. Didn't you undertsand my intent when I switched to an all-female staff - excepting the boys working in the lab - or you ahve problem with me in charge because I'm a girl?"

"As long as I have someone pretty running my sickbay, I don't care if they are a man or a woman," Kirk replied aloofly.

"Don't play dickgames with me, Sparky McSparkspark. I'll win. I don't care if you've got the hots for me, Dr. McCoy, or Dr Branzzk-"

"I am a professional, Dr. Rosa," bristled the Captain. "I only let my professional guard down once, and that was back in the 1930s and I still let the time line be uncompromised." Kirk replied, a little bit hot-headed. "You would know that if you knew me, or had heard half of what I told your patient in there."

"You need to follow my instructions. I don't care who you are. You have a dick so you're not allowed in there. Are we clear?"

"Oh we're clear. I guess I overestimated your healing abilities. I believed that you would already have her healed and that she was calling because she wanted to apologize for her recent indiscretions. I will never overestimate you again," he returned coldly. "Now, she and I agreed that she should be on birth control. I suggest you administer the three month before she awakes. If you doubt THAT agreement, you may check with computer records. Now if there's nothing else, I'm going to the bridge." He returned stifffly.

He didn't wait to see if she had anything else to say. He just left.

Leaving the room, Dr. Rosa fanned herself with her hand, trying to cool off. Once he had left the sickbay, she whispered, "What a hot and exasperating man."

After this even, Kirk felt on pins and needles all the time. He always worried that there would be another call from that Dr. Branzzk from sickbay, but he did not hear anything until 6 days till they were to arrive at Vulcan.

He finally heard the call from Dr. Rosa herself.

"Captain, would you please join me in the sickbay once you have the opportunity?" asked the unusually sweet voice of the Latina doctor.

Kirk bit his lip to keep away a snarky reply. He wanted to tell her he was too busy. He wanted to ask her if it were fine if he walked into the sickbay seeing as he still owned a penis. Instead, he told her laconically, "I'll be down in 5."

Spock raised an eyebrow at Kirk.

"Spock, you have the bridge."

Spock rose wordleslly from his station and took the position at the Captain's Chair as Kirk entered the turbolift.

When Kirk reached the sickbay, he saw that Dr. Branzzk was in the front room with McCoy by her side, holding his hand and smilin gently. Kirk was pleasantly surprised.

"Jim!" McCoy beamed, about to walk to him. Kirk raised a hand for him to halt. He thought it best for those two to enjoy their moment.

"No offense, Bones, but Dr. Rosa I believe wishes to speak with me. I'll go see her in the office. You visit with Dr. Branzzk."

Kirk strode to the office, completley unsure what to expect with the volatile Dr. Rosa.

He knocked at the office door.

"Come in!"

He entered the office and saw the beautiful Dr. Carlita Rosa with a pink scarf tied in her hair.

"Hello."

"Good morning, Captain. Please, sit down."

Determined to be polite, he sat down across from her. She threaded her hands together and looked at him with unusually jolly eyes that were hard to look away from.

"As you have probably guessed, I have isolated (with the help of the rest of the medical staff - especially Nurse Chapel) the virus responsible for her symptoms and formed a proper treatment. I shall implement innoculations today, if that's alright with you, setting up several stations on the ship for maximum speed. If we'd waited much longer, I believe the virus would have mutated into an airborne virus, and who knows, after that point, may have infected the whole crew."

"I don't imagine much work would be accomplished were that the case," Kirk replied stiffly, trying not to warm to her friendly front.

She let her guard drop for a moment and looked briefly embarraseeed, and fidgeted visibly. "I'm sorry for disappoint you, sir. I would have liked to have the answer earlier to this problem. It was especially difficult considering that Bella's my little sister." She confessed.

Kirk's eyes widened. This was obviously something he had overlooked. "I must apologize. I would never have assigned you to this assigment if I had known.. You look nothing alike."

"It wasn't well known. She and I fight a lot. Never have really seen eye to eye. Bresides, don't beat yourself up. I was the only female physician on staff. I was the only.. logical decision. But I thought maybe I could make this up to you. Maybe you would allow me to take you to dinner?" She said with a soft smile.

"I believe you'd have to clear that by Dr. McCoy. He distinctly told me that he didn't want me corrupting his medical crew, and in turn he'd leave my bridge crew alone," Kirk returned with a smile.

"Well, I figure he owes me," She smiled flirtatiously.

Kirk had a crazy image of the tiny lady straddling him in that very chair he was sitting at. He let the image escape his head with a shake. After a long deliberate pause, he assented. "Alright, Dr. Rosa. Dinner. Tonight."

"My place. And it's Carlita."

"Looking forward to it. Now I must ask, are Bones and Dr. Branzzk.. okay?"

"Well, who knows? They were always very close when they worked together on the Enterprise. She has expressed remore in responding to the empathic link forged with Spock, feeling it may have ruined and chances she had with McCoy. I insisted that she need not flirt with McCoy; it was not a good idea. It's always a bad idea to get involved with a coworker, or at least in the same departmetn. When she was with D'Maryp she forgot her feelings for McCoy, but then she transferred back here with him a few years later and the accident happened.." She paused. "I really liked D'Maryp. I thought he was really good for her. They grew up a lot together. But I know Leonard's a much more mature man, and a little bit more playful. I think he would be a good man for her, if they could make it work."

"Even though the whole Spock thing happened?" Kirk asked, almost innocently.

"You and I both know taht their bond would never have been born withou the events that occured in the transporter room following my brother-in-law's death. This was not a natural occurence."

"And yet they would have had a child together if it hadn't been for her miscarriage," Kirk pointed out.

"And she would have loved him."

"Regardless of the fact that she is admittedly not in any posiotn to have a child, mentally, emotionally, or at this point, physically."

Dr. Rosa shrugged. "I'm not saying this from a physician's standpoint. As much as we have always disagreed, she's sitll my sister and I must speak from that facet as well."

"Ah, you're not the firequeen," teased Kirk.

"Oh I am," she replied with a splash of somewhat strangely familiar inneundo. "Just not as much anymore when it comes to my sister."

In the next few days, the medical crew worked together to make the anti-viral into a gaseous form, so that it could be dispersed over planets that had empathic residents.

T'Pau didn't really admit it directly, but she was very grateful that Dr. Rosa and her crew had found a solution to their problem on Vulcan. What an embarrassing development it would be, were all the non-Vulcan empaths to dissolve into passion-driven creatures, and disrupt the delicate balance of mental barriers the Vulcans had erected over years of training and discipline.

Santino Vance himself, barely survived the virus. The virus had been a lot further along in his system than Dr. Branzzk's. He didn't even remember having an interlude with the Doctor. He had been experiencing dementia and intermittent amnesia. Maybe it was just as well. Once innoculated, it still took him 2 weeks to get out of the Vulcan infirmary.

Perhaps this is another story for later, but Bella Branzzk transferred back to the Enterprise, and Dr. Rosa continued to see Captain Kirk, despite all the ribbing that Dr. McCoy gave him.


End file.
